Privacy Policy

Provisional Draft — Last updated: October 2026

1. Overview and Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how CiteProof collects, processes, and stores information when you use our web research application. We strive to collect only the minimal data necessary to provide and operate the service.

This document is a functional description of our software architecture and data handling practices. We do not make generic claims of regulatory compliance certifications.

2. Information We Collect

  • Account Details: When you register, your email address, encrypted password, and optional display name are processed and stored by Supabase Auth.
  • Research Queries and Run State: When you initiate a DeepSearch or Research Mode run, we store your query, problem statement, research objectives, checkpoints, and generated synthesis in our database to display progress and maintain your research history.
  • Usage Metrics: We track monthly run consumption, starts per hour, and concurrency metrics to enforce plan allowances and protect service stability.
  • Payment Data: All payments are processed directly by Stripe. CiteProof never receives, processes, or stores your credit card number, debit card number, CVV, or card expiration date.

Third-Party API Keys (Bring Your Own Key): If you store an API key for an external language model provider, it is encrypted before storage and never shared with other users or services. Your key is used strictly to execute your research requests, is never displayed in full (only the last four characters are shown as a hint), and can be permanently deleted by you at any time from your account settings.

3. How Your Research Data Is Processed

When you execute research, your topic queries and retrieved text snippets are sent to external services strictly for the purpose of answering your query:

  • Language Model Providers: Research prompts, problem statements, and paper excerpts are sent to large language model providers to synthesize answers and evaluate evidence.
  • Academic and Search Engines: Search terms and queries are sent to public scholarly services (such as OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and arXiv) and web search providers to retrieve relevant papers and web pages.

4. Data Retention and Deletion

Your research history and generated reports are stored for the duration defined by your subscription plan (history_days). After this period, records may be automatically purged.

You can manually delete individual runs from your history at any time through the Account History tab or the in-app History panel. Deleting a run immediately removes it from your view and marks it for database deletion.

5. Taxes and Regulatory Notice

GST and statutory tax disclosures will be confirmed prior to general availability of paid checkout.

6. Legal Placeholders

Limitation of Liability: [to be completed by the operator]

Governing Law: [to be completed by the operator]

7. Contact

For privacy inquiries or account requests, contact: aryanpardeshi606@gmail.com.